Samson Pt 06

Sovereign Grace Family Church iconSovereign Grace Family Church

2 views

0 comments

00:00
If you remember last week we We worked through some of it and what I'd like to do is just read the text again but we'll we'll start at verse 4 because I think before that we kind of covered the The thoughts of that and and this is the final if you will the final act Closing curtain whatever way you want to consider it and this is of course his Relationship with Delilah as well as The Philistines so from verse 4 we'll read forward Now afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the valley of Sarek whose name was Delilah Lords of the Philistines came up to and said to her entice him and find out where his great strength lies and by what means we May overpower him that we may bind him and afflict him and every one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver So Delilah said to Samson Please tell me where your great strength lies and with what you may be bound to afflict you Samson said to her if they bind me with seven fresh bow strings not yet dried Then I shall become weak and be like other men So the Lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bow strings not yet dried and she bound him with them Now there was men lying in wait staying with her in the room And she said to them the Philistines are upon you Samson But he broke the bow strings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire So the secret of his strength was not known Then Delilah said to Samson look you have mocked me and told me lies now.
01:32
Please tell me where you are Tell me what you may be bound with So he said to her if they bind me securely with new ropes that have not been used then I shall become weak and be like other men Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him the Philistines are upon you Samson And there were men lying in wait staying in the room, but he broke them off his arms like a thread Then Delilah said to Samson until now you have mocked me and told me lies Tell me what you may be bound with he said to her if you weave seven locks of my head into the web of the loom So she wove it tightly with the baton on the loom and said to him the Philistines are upon you Samson But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the baton and the web from the loom Then she said to him.
02:20
How can you say I love you when your heart is not with me? you have mocked me these three times have not told me where your great strength lies and It came to pass when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed them so that his soul was vexed to death That he told her all his heart and said to her no razor has ever come upon my head for I've been a Nazarite to God for my mother's womb If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me and I shall become Weak and be like any other man And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart she sat and called for the Phil the Lords of the Philistines Saying come up once more for he has told me all his heart So the Lords of the Philistines came up to her brought the money in their hand and she lulled him to sleep on her knees and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head and She began to torment him and his strength left him and she said the Philistines are upon you Samson So he awoke from his sleep and said I will go out as before At other times and shake myself free, but he did not know that the Lord had departed from him Then the Philistines took him put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza They bound the wood bronze feathers and he became a grinder in the prison However, the hair of his head began to grow again it after it had been shaven Now the Lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice Today gone their God and to rejoice and they said our God has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy When the people saw him they praised their God for they said our God has delivered into our hands our enemy the destroyer of the land and the one who multiplied our dead So it happened when their hearts were merry that they said call for Samson that he may perform for us So they called for Samson from the prison and he performed for them and they stationed him between the pillars Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand Let me feel the pillars which support the temple so that I can lean on them Now the temple was full of men and women all the Lords of the Philistines were there in fact, it was about 3,000 men and women on the roof who watched while Samson performed and Samson called to the Lord saying Oh Lord God.
04:40
Remember me.
04:40
I pray strengthen me I pray just this one so God that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple when he braced him against him one on his right and the other on his left Samson said let me die with the Philistines and he pushed with all his might the temple fell on the Lords and all the people who Were in it.
05:04
So the dead that were killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life And his brothers all his father's household came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zora and Eschatol in the tomb of his father Menorah.
05:18
He had judged Israel 20 years so as we consider this morning this Final words on Samson if you remember last week, we did consider the first four verses and how he again repeated his desires and finding a woman and And what took place and then and now as I said we come to this Activity with with Delilah and if you remember we what I said to you last week at the close was that It seems as I looked at these verses that as she begins to wear him down Or if you think of it the other way as God begins to further remove himself From Samson in in his relationship that that it just seems to progress first She says please tell me and then of course he tells her a story and then the second time it's you know please please pretty please and then again the third time it becomes a War of an indignant kind of thing and she says you've mocked me and made a fool of me now And Samson begins to slowly crack in that way and finally as we have read that he He gives in and and I did remark and I just will start there that What she says at the at that point where Delilah says to Samson In verse 15 she said to him how can you say I love you when your heart is not with me You've mocked me these three times and have not told me where your grant strength lies and and I said and I'll say it again To me, that's the whole lot of hypocrisy in that one, right? You're telling me that you don't love me Meanwhile, I'm trying to trade you for 1,100 shekels of silver in that sense, you know People who I guess I'll say it this way Especially concerning Delilah unbelievers will always do unbelievable things and say the most Unbelievable things and not even notice that they themselves are many times the the ones responsible for the things they accuse others of so These first two responses it gets closer and and and then finally He begins to reveal his heart and and again just as a question or comment What was it that that when he tells her that if his head is shaved You and I really believe that Samson really believes that all this is is a matter of his hair I wonder if I just stand here and wait for somebody to say so What is it is it is it with the Samson really believe that that everything is involved in his hair There's a first that as it gets closer, then he says well if you do something to my hair Then this then I'll lose my strength What is it? brother Okay, so so what is what is the relationship of the head and come on help me Okay, because of what Right and and and was that not in a great sense the the outward manifestation of the Nazirite vow That that What in that sense among many other things, but that was what? Separated him in that vow was that he would not have his hair shaved So I don't really think any of us could honestly defend the position The Samson just thinks it's got to do with the hair on his head Does anybody think that that it's merely only the Samson says well if you just cut my hair Okay Think I need a cup of coffee when get up and do some jumping jacks Okay, so so at least we established that so Let's just work through a little bit of it.
09:55
So we've kind of rehearsed this whole thing with How coming to him and him giving us some information and and by the way, is he not lying to her? Right, we know that that the ropes and the and the bow strings and because that didn't work before when they tried before to Bind them.
10:16
He knew that that Wasn't going to be the answer.
10:19
So not only is he involved in he's not easy involved in and think of it not only is he involved in lust and Fornication and disobedience and And and all these things and and again, I will say this whether it Is a summary thought or just a thought to think about we need to be really careful about how we consider Samson And I think brother Mike had brought it up.
10:48
Oh me and him were talking about it.
10:50
It's gonna be very hard for us to Understand what's taking place if we only look at it through New Testament eyes Because if we if we do that And then the last week I try to I go I drew a lot of things on the board And just kind of scattered things about him Lance well, I Think it also comes that you know, he has you know, Delilah she tested I mean, he has to be dumb or in rock that I'm just to see that he did it then He bound herself the Philistines are here, but it wasn't a joke And the Lord actually gave him time.
11:32
I want you to see the error of your ways here And he just was too dumb to see it Every or he was blinded to it.
11:41
And then he finally, you know getting his haircut was his last act Against what his bow for for the father and everything that he was Actually sit here to do for them.
11:54
That was his last thing he did Against God And when you think about it again with Sampson it's at the point where he is I Believe basically at his lowest point Because it's there where he in that way Separates himself from God who has Been with him and had set him apart as a Nazareth from the very beginning so It does say she pestered him but but I think there's more to it than just the fact of her Constantly trying to wear him down and wear him down and wear him down It is there's this there's this physical relationship and it certainly has a outworking But it's more of the relationship that he has with the God of Israel who has in that sense Raised him up to be a judge Let's just look a little bit further.
12:57
So in verse 15, how do you say you love me? You've mocked me these three times not told me where your strength lies and she pestered him and he told her all his heart No razor has ever come upon my head for I have been a Nazareth to God From my mother's womb and it's interesting now.
13:15
He brings God into it Here's where he begins to And I believe this is why she knows not only from probably his disposition But all of a sudden now before I was here a couple of bow strings this that and the other thing now he brings in this whole idea of this relationship with God and And he says I've been a Nazareth From my one my mother's womb and if I am shaven my strength and I shall become weak like any other man And then the verse 18, of course when Delilah saw that and again I think part of it is because now she has finally he has spilled his heart in telling her That his relationship with God is is the very thing which gives him that Strength to do what he does.
14:09
All right, look at verse 19 We need to get through this this morning so we can finish this this week It says she lulled him to sleep on her knees and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his Head and she began to torment him and his strength left him.
14:24
So I thought about this a little bit and then I kind of looked at a couple of others who have Commented on this and and some suggested that when it says she'd love there's any way of a different word didn't lull Mike where's your say, bro? She made him go to sleep.
14:42
Okay, anybody else have anything else? Okay that it could very well be she Did more than just say Samson.
14:53
Why don't you just rest here that maybe she slipped him? some kind of potion To to lull him to sleep.
15:02
He's confessed to heart in that sense.
15:05
She now knows the secret of his strength and Because I can't imagine in one way he falls asleep and some guys Yanking on his hair shaving his hair off and he doesn't wake up So could it be that there's more to it than she just said just rest here for a while It's somehow I mean, we're not gonna say that Delilah is of an upright character.
15:28
So Could it be that she? Does something to his whatever he has and anyway the result of it is She begins to torment them and his strength left him and then verse 20 is really pretty to me sarcastic and Sad the Philistines are upon you Samson.
15:50
So he awoke from his sleep and and this verse 20.
15:53
I don't know how Y'all would consider but to me this is the most terrifying thought Look at verse 20 The Philistines are upon you Samson So he awoke from his sleep and said I will go out as before at other times to check myself free He did not know that the Lord had departed from and I thought about how sin blinds how people who are Not walking right as I said, um We shouldn't expect people Who are not in a right spiritual condition to say right spiritual things because because there's a connection between that right, but this is the most terrifying thought to me how Just as Jesus said those that walk in darkness in the sense They don't even know they're walking in darkness, right? They think all is well, and it's not and and so when it says that He didn't know that the Lord had departed from him.
16:54
I take it as He's really in bad shape And by the way, I'll just say this.
17:01
I do not believe Samson's a carnal Christian So let's just leave that that thought out of it for a minute.
17:07
One of the commentators said this about this State about this verse.
17:11
He said this he said so strength like beauty is dependent upon contact with God and may ever way when that is broken and The man May be unaware of the weakness till he tries his power and utterly fails well, if you begin to think about that Samson has He's judged Israel.
17:37
He's had great conquests and he's at the point now doesn't even realize that the Lord has departed from him and Now we get into a little bit more of the consequences of that because again, I know we all believe it But I'm not so sure we all realize sin has consequences right Does sin have consequences to the child of God as well? Does anybody want to say that there is no consequences to sin? Let it surely surely is and and just a thought Those consequences are determined by God in God's time According to God's purpose in other words could not have God dealt with Samson at the very beginning when he first started to Do his his thing? Surely he could have but God determined because again remember God's sovereign God has raised Samson as a judge God his purpose to deliver Israel, even if it's through the means of of a Samson and when God Determines and that's something you do and I have to consider brothers and sisters God is the one who sets parameters even for us.
19:02
And so the chastening of the Lord comes upon us You ever get into a situation where something takes place and you begin to say Why this why now? Can it not be that that's something that God is chasing us chastening us for for something that took place a long time ago? Just Something to think about something to consider that again, it's it's not always the lightning bolt And sometimes it could be brothers sisters.
19:31
It could be years But God will deal with us as children and and the discipline of God will always find its way.
19:40
So verse 21 The Philistines took him and plucked out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza They bound him with bronze feathers and he became a grinder in the mill and You know when I was reading this, you know, and I thought what Jesus said If your eye offend you what? Pluck it out and you know, and here's what else I thought If your eye offend you pluck it out because sometimes if you don't pluck it out God will right? And and and you think about it I Again I I just think it's something that's important for us and and that's one of the lessons we could learn from Samson again Which one of us want to say to our child growing up what to one another be I hope you just like Samson Right none of us want I mean if you venture down that road then we need to talk But there are still things we can learn and that's the greatness of God's Word is we can learn Both from the things that are right And the things that are wrong what we should do what we shouldn't do So the Philistines take them and and it is in that sense a little bit You think about it and people will say Karma, whatever what other junky things people have in this world, but the reality is Many times the very thing that we Fail to do in in one way or another comes back and and again God's gonna get us, right? And that's the glorious part of all this right? God's always gonna get us right because he loves us and he cares for us and so they pluck out his eyes and bring them down to Gaza and in verse 22 is an interesting verse isn't it his hair began to grow After I've been shaven Now if you really think that it's just his hair Then verse 22 begins to make you think well boy his strengths coming back Anybody have any thought about verse 22 real quick? And again, I want to get through this so we will get through this morning But it goes about verse why why does the scriptures add the fact that his hair? Began to grow again Because it's not until the Lord comes upon him again at the end there that Strength returns Certainly, we could think of it that way and here's a thought and I'll try to show you and against my thought as we go through this that at this point Samson is Not only was he at the lowest point when he spills his heart to Delilah, but I think this whole Reality of his eyes being gouged out being brought down Ultimately being made sport of and and being paraded out and and after all the the great conquest that Maybe there's something else behind this in that Samson is beginning to fully on the book better understand what it means to to Both be charged by God and to be under God's discipline.
23:01
Is this perhaps? Something that we'll see that as we work through the final verses because if you look at Just think about it as the temple is full and and he He's me made Mary look at verse 28 real quick.
23:18
We'll come back to it in a second I just want to finish that thought look at verse 28 Samson called to the Lord Saying Oh Lord God.
23:26
Remember me.
23:27
I pray strengthen me Just this once Oh God now, I'm gonna deal with the second part of that verse here because I think that's a separate book but He called upon God.
23:38
He mentioned the name of God in verse 17, I believe Because he calls God and he uses three different names Adonai the all-powerful one the Almighty Jehovah The great coveted God the great self-existent one and Elohim The great creator in that sense the the more generic Word for God, but all at that point and I will submit to you that the first half of verse 28 To me is Samson's highest point Spiritually that that he is that there is some sort of Not Merely remorse for the loss of his eyes, but remorse for his actions and That there is in that sense some sort of Repentance working now.
24:32
I Not in this I'm not trying to say that that Samson has lived an exemplary life.
24:39
I think we would be way off the mark But there is something about this where it says his hair began to grow and Now the Lords of the Philistines gathered together or for a great sacrifice to Dagon their God and to rejoice and they said now Anybody remember Dagon? Where else we find again? Remember you remember when Israel was what? Where was the ark? remember the Philistines captured the ark and And they have the ark Dagon What kind of God was he? Fish God, so that they say it was pretty much.
25:21
He had the upper part of a man and the bottom part of fish brother Yeah, yeah Yeah Yeah, and he was so his mix kind of Demigod kind of statue but but here's the point if I could Say this way God is going to get his Vengeance on the Philistines for their worship of their God even through Samson and if you remember what took place so When the ark was captured and and then I'll just read a few it says went in this first Samuel 5 when the Philistines took the Ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and and set it up by Dagon and And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning There was Dagon fallen on his face to the earth before the Ark of the Lord and they took Dagon and they set it up again, remember and then they rose early the next morning and there was Dagon fallen on his face to the ground before the Ark of the Lord and the head Of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were broken off the threshold and only Dagon's torso was left.
26:34
So There's a relationship to be had in that They're crying out and this was again remember God's purpose God's purpose is to redeem Israel out of the hands of the Philistines and they are crediting the capture of Samson To their God and in that sense Ridiculing the true God right because again That's what they believe that their God and that's exactly what they said in verse 24 Our God is delivered into our hands the destroyer of our land and the one who multiplied our dead Then it goes on and and we begin to see how It progresses and and I don't really understand the time period I don't know if we could Definitely mark how long this time is I'm gonna I don't think it's that long But I don't think it's just you know an hour either Nevertheless, it happened that their hearts were married That they said call for Samson that when he may perform before us and again, I think there's more to it than just ridiculing Samson It's that they're glorying in Dagon their God And I thought about how the world real quick how often the world will point out when Supposedly Christians fall Right and how the world will almost they love to make it to headlines, right? Minister so-and-so was caught in an adulterous situation or there was thievery or this that the world It seems to like to make merry about that that that oh, you're the people of God Let's bring you out before you think you're any different than us and you do the same Things and so I think there's a relationship there for us to think about so they call for Samson from the prison And he performed and they stationed him between the pillars again, it's it's a sad ending to a What I would say is a sad account of a judge in Israel and yet a glorious account of how God many times And I say it many times how God uses both deceived and the deceiver to accomplish his purposes and even in Psalm 76 it says the wrath of man shall praise you and The remainder of wrath you will restrain Just like God says to the ocean.
29:19
You can go this far but no further And so now as they are sporting and having their their good old time you can almost picture it, right I mean, I'm sure they're not drinking diet cokes in the on the roof.
29:32
They're making merry and Everybody's having a great time and now Samson is led by the hand of the lad and let me feel the pillars of the temple So I can lean on him and the temple was full of men and women the Lords of the Philistines were there In fact, there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who watched Samson perform Well, and I thought about even in church history right when they used to bring the Christians out to feed them before the Lions and and and and and even as it's depicted and probably rightfully so how people gather in these stadiums and and you know they get all dressed up to come watch a lion or beast or an execution and and and how You can think about that in relationship and again the world will always Not only be only shame to their sin, but they will actually make merry about this and sister Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, and particularly in not just Delilah Feeling mocked but but God was mocked by Samson in that sense, wasn't he? I mean Samson made light of what God Had set out to be very serious thing.
31:18
Let me just look at verse 28 So 3,000 men on the roof.
31:22
So here's the interesting.
31:23
Well, here's an interesting Way to think or ask you to think about so he calls for the Lord saying Oh Lord God remember me I pray strengthen me I pray just this once Oh God that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes So I guess we probably can say One of a number of things we could say Samson is very concerned about the glory of God and how the the Philistines have Made the God of Israel Subject to their God and that Samson is at this point man.
32:08
He's the hero He just wants to see God honored and God glorified.
32:14
I Think that's one way to consider another way to consider it is all Samson really cares about his vengeance If you think about what we've been going through in the account of Samson everything that Samson did Most of what Samson did was an act of what? retribution vengeance His Desire to in essence get back So is those words Oh God that I may with one blow take vengeance on my on the Philistines for my two eyes Can we make a very distinct and clear-cut? Understanding is it the glory of God? Is it? Vengeance and by the way, I would I would be I would lean Mora, I know that's not a word I would lean more towards Samson Truly desiring the glory of God if he had if it said and again, I don't know exactly what the Hebrew says here And I'm sorry, I should have tried to get more of it that I made with one blow vengeance on the Philistines And if he would have said for my two eyes and your glory It might have it might make me it make me it might make me think a little bit different, but he does it He although he calls out to God and although he calls out in that sense in the right way to to add an eye and Jehovah and Elohim is he's still only concerned with the vengeance that they took his eyes and They're making fun of him You know, I don't expect us to to answer that whole question but I wanted to at least set that before us to consider and again and I I think brother Mike has brought this out and I've tried to bring it out.
34:15
It's very difficult for us in our understanding to set our minds in I Mean we could go back in our minds to these days But to get the not only the mindset but the if you will the scriptural mindset of things and activities to take place That's me.
34:34
You say something You know, could it be just because Samson Addressed the father the way he's supposed to he gave him all the honor award to God Maybe in you know, God knew it's hard.
34:51
He knew that he wanted vengeance.
34:52
He said, all right since I See that you now Know who I am You do honor me because you address me exactly for who I am I will give you this one thing, even though it's it's for your business for your eyes.
35:08
I know it's selfish I'm gonna go ahead and grant you this one Well again, I think that's where we ought to be fully persuaded in our own mind I would be more I would lean more in that direction if he had said Something or if he had said Lord grant me this for your glory and for my eyes But and again, I don't understand.
35:32
I don't know exactly how it's laid out and then again, I'm sorry I should have but he as I read this it says Even though he calls out to the right God But but let me ask you a question We only got a minute.
35:47
So look just because people call out to the right God But what if they have the wrong reason for calling out to the right God? Because that certainly happens, right? How many people have said in the gym? Oh God And I'll even address the God in the Bible or think they've just some God about if you'll only do this to me Right.
36:08
So just because we use right terms That doesn't always mean that we go and get the results that we think I think you also knew his heart Well, I know God knows his heart Yeah, and in our hearts and none of us want to say that our hearts are completely pure when we cry out to God, right When I Yeah And it's almost a thought and as I was doing a little background work that the way that's Versed I've been the way that's stated.
37:03
It's almost as if he's saying, you know What they I couldn't get enough vengeance for my two eyes Nothing can kind of restore my eyes at least at least for one eye Look, let me let me have this vengeance and I agree with bro Mike that And that's where I think there's a tendency on our part to want to bring Samson to some sort of Good ending Uplifting ending Here's the one who gets the glory at the end God Cuz God destroys the Philistines And here's another point We're just about a time where it says that he killed more in his death than what in his life And you know in my mind ran and you can say I should have shouldn't I ran to the cross That Jesus is death Killed all his enemies right and when he rose and in that sense How many were around him during his ministry? A hundred something like that besides the multitude how many of them come? To fruition at Pentecost.
38:13
So it is not that reality see because Samson in the senses of Christ, isn't he? We're just got to be careful because if we start looking too close just like every other character in the Bible Many of them are used as types of Christ, but none of them are Christ.
38:29
Are they we would certainly look to David as a man After God's own heart and yet he's he only goes thus thus far and no father Just like God bounds the ocean.
38:40
There is none like Christ, but Samson does relate in that sense.
38:44
And here's another thought Because he just says after they after he kills them that the family comes up and buries him, but he has another thought It's not it's not Samson been a picture to us of Israel how God has brought Brought Israel out of Egypt and what what did God continually say about Israel as They came out of Egypt Terror rebellious people they are wandering people no matter what I do for them They just they again we talk about all the time three days out of Egypt and they want to go back in bondage So they could eat cucumbers and onions And in that sense Samson as the judge, he's a picture of Israel Because Israel is much like this judge and Ultimately, what does God do to Israel? He sends him off into captivity, right? He sends the north off and then he sends the south off and and he even says to those in the south You're worse than the ones that that I took out before No because remember the northern King that went in 720 or whatever at 722 or whatever and the southern Kingdom didn't fall to 586 or 587 something like that But my point is God says that you didn't even turn one when you saw what happened to your brothers and so Samson is a picture of of Israel he's a picture of of a man who or a woman who follows his own desires cares nothing about the consequences In that sense, I think sometimes unbelievers think that they are invincible And that that there is no accounting And reality is as we all know sin has consequences so It'll be the end of Samson and then next week brother Mike's gonna begin to take us back in Chapter 17 to the end of the book to a time before the the actual judges really kicked in So maybe even right after Joshua Died or maybe the elders that out died Joshua because there's going to be a continual Phrase that's used over and over again And it's that and it's what it said in the beginning of the book of Judges that there was no king in the land in those days and every Man did that which was right in his own eyes and and we'll see how as brother Mike brings it out with with Micaiah and we'll go back and forth through any final thoughts before we close this account of judges Remember now Samson falls off the map for decades centuries millennium And and thank God for that verse in Hebrews, by the way Yeah, and I think it part it's because that wasn't that that wasn't the focus the focus was more of the faithfulness Not only of God but of the people of God and so Samson is certainly mentioned And so we don't really get a full exposition of Barak because he remember Barak No, he wasn't What did Barak say remember what Barak said when Deborah says He says he tells the woman if you don't go with me, I ain't going and remember what she told him Okay, I'll go with you but guess what you get none of the glory so and Jaffa Right Gideon He's scared to death right he none of those in Hebrews 11 really have The greatest of resumes And that's where we I'm sorry That's where I think we can say and rest assured that the God is faithful and that God Will he who began a good work in us will continue because brothers and sisters if it's dependent on us We're done.
43:08
So okay Our father in God.
43:12
Thank you for our time together Lord interesting thoughtful provoking but Oh God may we not use any other than the Lord Jesus Christ as our authority and As our ultimate goal to be conformed to the image your son Your beloved son our Savior our Redeemer the captain the author and finisher of our faith our high priest Lord may we worship you this morning in Jesus name.